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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431800">We had Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/phlebotinxm/pseuds/phlebotinxm'>phlebotinxm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Season 7 predictions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coda, F/M, S07E01 Coda, Spoilers, What-If</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:07:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/phlebotinxm/pseuds/phlebotinxm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Simmons… How long have we been apart?" </p><p>- </p><p>A S07E01 coda, because I couldn't get this out of my mind. Spoilers ahead!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Deke Shaw &amp; Jemma Simmons, Jemma Simmons &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Season 7 predictions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>137</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>We had Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone!<br/>Well. Seems like I just can't stop writing about these two? I hope it's a good thing. </p><p>I watched the first episode of s7 live (at 4 in the morning, as any sane person does), and I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. it's so far fetched, and honestly a bit stupid, but indulge me alright? </p><p>As always English isn't my first language, I wrote this at 2 in the morning (my sleeping pattern is great, what are you talking about??) in one go and this is probably filled with mistakes. I'm sorry. </p><p>Please don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about this? xx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Simmons… How long have we been apart?"</p><p>Jemma couldn't meet her eyes for a second, her stomach clenching with sadness at the thought. She had been prepared for questions, but she didn't expect them to hurt that much. It had been a couple of weeks since she'd last seen Fitz, and she ached for him so bad, but it felt so good to see her friends again.</p><p>“Too long. It is good to see you.”</p>
<hr/><p>Jemma was hunched over her work station when Elena came back with her new arms. She didn't hear her coming, trying in vain to fight the nausea that shook her entire body. She knew Fitz would never have lied about the message, but she felt stubborn tears threaten to drop as she searched again and again, unable to find it.</p><p>"How are your arms feeling?" Jemma asked as she straightened, swallowing back her pain.<br/>
Elena smiled. "Strange. But better. Thank you. How about you?"</p><p>They were all spies, and even though she'd gotten better at lying as time passed, she could see the worry in Elena's eyes as she looked at her and her firm grip on her work station.</p><p>"Fitz said he tried to send me a message" Jemma replied instead, ignoring the way her stomach lurched. "But I'm not entirely sure how to find it."</p><p>Elena considered her response carefully for a moment.</p><p>"You must be worried about him."<br/>
"He's safe" Jemma replied with a tight smile. "But I do miss him."</p><p><em>I miss him so much it hurts</em>, she didn't say. I<em> wanna see this message because you have no idea what I've left behind</em>, she didn't say. <em>I feel like my entire heart has been ripped out of my chest</em>, she didn't say.</p><p>"Well it's not exactly your first go at being separated by space and time" Elena whispered with a smile, trying so hard to cheer her up.<br/>
Jemma couldn't help but smile back. She'd missed her friends so much. "Practice makes it perfect, I suppose."<br/>
"Are you gonna try to reach out to him?"</p><p>Jemma paused, heart in her throat.</p><p>"Never." She replied with force. "We have to assume the Chronicoms are listening."</p><p><em>And you have no idea how much I could lose,</em> she didn't say.</p><p>"It's more important to keep a low profile."</p><p>The honk of the car Deke and Daisy stole thankfully cut their conversations before Jemma could say anything more.</p>
<hr/><p>The Chronicom they'd caught had killed itself. FDR wasn't in danger, which was great, but they had to save Hydra in order to save SHIELD. All in once, this day was the weirdest Jemma had experienced in a long time, and she'd had a few ones not so long ago. It felt good, though, to be back with the team. She felt bad about thinking this considering the situation they were in, but it was the only balm she'd be able to apply on her aching heart for an undetermined amount of time.</p><p>"So" Deke said as they all prepared to go to sleep, the night already well advanced. Jemma could feel her back ache with exhaustion, and she knew the team needed as much rest as they could get before going back to fighting the Chronicoms in the morning. "How's… How's Fitz?"</p><p>She couldn't help but think about how much Fitz and Deke looked alike, no matter how much they both tried to deny it. Deke had grown up in a messed up world, and he'd had to do things he'd never be proud of in order to survive, but there was this goodness inside of him that Jemma had seen from the start. Deke was his family, and at times as he spoke or laughed or even stood, she could see all the little things he'd taken from Fitz that she loved so much.</p><p>"I don't know" she replied truthfully, throat tight. "I'm sorry, Deke. I don't know."<br/>
"It's alright" he added quickly, his blue eyes never leaving her face. "Are <em>you</em> okay?"</p><p><em>No</em>, she wanted to replied. Actually, she wanted to scream. To scream, then sob, then roll over in her bed and cry herself to sleep like she'd done quietly so many times before in the weeks following her separation from the man she called home. But she couldn't. Because there was a mission, because Fitz was safe, and because her feelings didn't matter this time.</p><p>"I'm okay" she simply said.</p><p>She could see in Deke's eyes that he didn't believe her.</p><p>"There's something you're not telling us" he finally said, balancing his weight from one foot to the other.<br/>
She simply smiled, a fake smile she'd practiced so much. "Trust me, Deke. Everything's fine."</p>
<hr/><p>"I know there's something you're not telling us" Daisy told her a few days later, as they ate breakfast side by side. Mack and Yoyo were still in their personal quarters, and Jemma tried so hard not to feel jealous every time she thought about them curling around each other.</p><p>She shook her head, avoiding Daisy's gaze as she bit inside her biscuit.</p><p>"Nothing that concerns the mission, I promise."<br/>
Daisy sighed. "I know, Simmons. I know you wouldn't hide anything from us, not about this. But… There's something you're not telling us about the time we missed."</p><p>The biscuit suddenly felt like ashes in her mouth, and Jemma swallowed thickly.</p><p>"How much time passed, Jemma?" Daisy asked again, softer this time. "You're different. There's something about you… You're both softer and colder, now. The way you handled this Chronicom, as opposed to the way you act with all of us. I know you missed us, but there's something more."<br/>
"Daisy" Jemma warned, voice tight. She could feel tears threatening to spill past her waterline. "Please."</p><p>Thankfully, Daisy didn't push. She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, falling silent as they both ate their breakfast. When Deke and May eventually joined them, none of them mentioned the wetness in Jemma's eyes and the tense way Daisy sat on her chair.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>"Jemma" Fitz whispered against the skin of her neck. "Jemma."<br/>
"Hmm" she protested, eyes still firmly closed. "Five more minutes."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fitz's laugh made her body shiver with goosebumps, and she felt his lips trace the delicate skin of her shoulder as he wrapped himself around her a little tighter, warm hand pressing against her belly to hold her close. She could feel the heat radiating from his palm, and the entire length of him pressed against her back. There was no position in the world where she felt better, and her heart swelled with too many emotions to even try to put a name on them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You know we won't be able to enjoy this a lot longer" Fitz eventually said again, the soft sounds of his kisses resonating in their dark bunk. "I know someone who won't let us."<br/>
Jemma smiled. "I know. But I'm already so grateful for these stolen moments."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Soon enough, his body felt too hot and she squirmed, pushing her ass against him. Fitz let out out a warning growl, hand tightening on she shirt she wore at night.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Jemma…"</em>
</p><p>"Jemma?"</p><p>With a gasp, Jemma blinked herself awake. Her eyes fell on May, who was watching her with an unreadable expression.</p><p>"We have something" she eventually said. "You fell asleep, I'm sorry I had to wake you."</p><p>Jemma could almost still feel the warmth of Fitz's body against her, the press of his hand on her belly and the sensation of his kisses on her naked shoulder. But it wasn't real, and she was alone on the Zephyr somewhere in time with the rest of the team.</p><p>"Are you okay?" May asked again, concerned.<br/>
Jemma nodded. "I'm fine."</p>
<hr/><p>"Hey, it's your birthday" Daisy realized as soon as she saw the newspaper Deke and Mack had brought back from their run in town, turning around to face Jemma with wide eyes.</p><p>Jemma froze in front of her work station.</p><p>"Oh" she simply replied.<br/>
"I can't believe we didn't realize" Daisy kept going. "I would have gotten something for you. I can't believe you're turning 32."</p><p>Jemma turned around, leaning against her work station with a sigh.</p><p>"35" she replied quietly.</p><p>She didn't miss the way everyone in the room froze. For a tensed moment, no one said anything, and she was almost relieved when Mack started talking again.</p><p>"You and Fitz… it took you three years to achieve all of this?" He asked, mentioning at the room they were standing in.<br/>
"39 months, to be exact" she answered.</p><p>On the opposite science station, Deke was staring at her in shock. Daisy hadn't spoken again yet, but Jemma knew most of them were burning with questions. She just didn't know if she would be capable of answering any of them.</p><p>"Are you ever gonna tell us what happened?" Coulson eventually asked, and Jemma almost felt like crying. She'd missed his voice more than anything, when in doubt during those three years spent perfecting time travel and everything that went with him. Coulson was the closest thing she had to family after her parents, that she hadn't seen in so long.<br/>
"One day" she replied. "One day, I promise. I just… I need to find Fitz's message, first. Alright?"</p><p>No one dared to say anything after that, and she turned back to her work station with her stomach in knots and quivering lips. Later at night when she retreated to her bunk, she found a little package on her pillow, and almost burst into tears when she realized that Daisy had found her a little stuffed monkey.</p>
<hr/><p>"You know what, I found something to be grateful for" Elena said with a smile, playing with her fork. "I don't miss periods, especially not in this precise period of time."</p><p>Mack and Deke both winced, pretending to get back to their plates. Thankfully for them, the restaurant they were in had private corners that allowed them to lay low as much as they wanted, while enjoying a good (or relatively) meal. Coulson didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the turn of conversation, and Daisy nodded fervently.</p><p>"Oh yeah" she said, swallowing her own food. "SHIELD's IUDs are the best, seriously. With all the things we've been through, from time travel and slavery in a dystopian future" she glanced at Deke, who pretended to be very invested in his pizza, "I don't know how I'd deal with periods. How do women even deal with periods in 1931?"<br/>
Jemma winced. "Unfortunately, women disposable tampons won't be invented until 1933" she explained with a sigh. "They mostly use homemade menstrual rags, and will until the 40s. Although a surge of ingenuity in period products offerings is coming, I'm very thankful I made a personal stash before jumping through time, let me tell you."</p><p>She didn't really realize what she'd reveal before she heard Elena's confused gasp, and she raised her head only to find six pair of eyes staring at her in shock.</p><p>"You don't have your IUD anymore?" May asked, brows frowned.</p><p>Jemma bit the inside of her cheek. It still felt a little surreal to realize that her friends hadn't been by her and Fitz's side in a little more than three years, and that there were a tons of random things they didn't know about her anymore.</p><p>"I had to take it off" she explained with a shrug. "After we came back from space, I realized it had messed with my hormones, and with Izel… Well, let's just say I never really had the chance to get another one."</p><p>It wasn't a lie, per se. But it wasn't the entire truth either. Not that her friends would have any reasons to doubt her words. But as she dived in her plate again, she could feel the way both May and Coulson stared at her with suspicion from the corner of their eyes.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a month after leaving Fitz for an undetermined amount of time that Enoch came up with the good news.</p><p>"I found a message, from Fitz" he said politely, loudly enough for everyone to hear.</p><p>They were all in the Zephyr's control room, and for a small selfish moment, Jemma wished she could have been the only one to hear the news. At least at first. Her knees felt wobbly as a wave of relief crashed on her, and she wasn't surprised to feel Deke put a reassuring hand on her arm as her shoulders sagged.</p><p>"Would you like to see it?" Enoch asked directly to Jemma.</p><p><em>See</em> it. It was a video, then. Jemma felt like her heart might jump out of her chest, no matter how impossible it was.</p><p>"If Fitz has informations, it concerns the whole team" Mack argued immediately, taking a step back as he looked at Simmons. "We should all see it."</p><p>Enoch looked at Jemma from the corner of his eyes. Numbly, she nodded. She couldn't wait any longer, and the team would find out at some point anyway. They all rushed to the lab, Enoch's steady steps grounding her as he took his tablet and typed on it for a few seconds. Jemma could feel Deke's steady presence next to her, and she couldn't help but squeeze his arm gratefully.</p><p>"It's not very long" Enoch said immediately. "But I think you will find it pleasing, Jemma."</p><p>Immediately, Fitz's face appeared on screen. Jemma felt her heart leap in her chest, her eyes watering as she took in the sight of her husband. He looked a little thin, dark circles under his eyes emphasizing his baby blue pupils as he stared at the camera. His hair was longer than she remembered, his curls reminding her a little bit of their earliest days at the Academy, and his smile was lightening up the whole screen.</p><p><em>"Hey Jemma"</em> he said, and Jemma couldn't help but smile. She wanted to reach out and touch the screen so bad, but the steady presence of the team behind them prevented her from doing anything of sorts. <em>"I found the next coordinates for the jump, and the Zephyr should recalibrate accordingly. I hope nothing broke, I made sure it would hold but you can never be too careful. I've left Mack and Deke some informations at Deke's desk, in case something happens anyway." </em>He paused to look at his phone, <em>"The Zephyr should set a countdown 24 hours before jumping. You need to make sure everyone's back on the ship in time, or there's no going back. I trust you, and the team. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I don't know if anyone's listening. Tell them I'm sorry again." </em>His face broke into a more sincere smile this time, blue eyes shining as he exhaled. <em>"I miss you so much, Jemma. I know it hasn't even been that long, but I miss you so much."</em></p><p>This time, Jemma couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down her face, the ache in her heart feeling even bigger now that she could hear Fitz's voice. She'd thought seeing him would ease the crushing feeling between her ribs, when in reality it all but added to her pain as she realized what she had lost.</p><p><em>"I miss you, and I love you" </em>Fitz kept going, eyes shining. He exhaled shakily, and blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. Then, he held a finger in front of the camera and jumped out of his seat, leaving the sight of the camera for a moment.</p><p>"What is he doing?" Jemma heard Coulson whisper behind her.</p><p>If someone replied, she didn't hear, because her breath suddenly caught in her throat. She knew exactly what he was doing, and where he'd went. And when Fitz reappeared, he was clutching a toddler against his chest securely.</p><p>Daisy let out a breath. "What the—"</p><p><em>"Hey there" </em>Fitz said in a soft voice, pushing one of the baby's curly strands of brown hair behind her ear as she looked up at the camera curiously. <em>"Say hi to mum, Olive"</em></p><p>Time felt like it had stopped as Jemma looked at her daughter, tears falling down her face freely. She could barely feel Deke's hands gripping her arm almost too tight and completely ignored her friends' surprised exclamations as Olive waved at the camera almost shyly, looking between Fitz and the computer curiously. She'd been away for a little over a month, but she felt like she'd grown so much already, and the knowledge that she was missing out on so much in her daughter's life made her nauseous.</p><p><em>"We miss you" </em>Fitz said to the camera once again, eyes tainted with sadness. <em>"So much."</em></p><p>Olive pushed her face into the crook of Fitz's neck, little fingers digging into the soft fabric of his shirt as she stared at the camera. She'd always been a calm and curious baby, which surprised neither of them. She hadn't been planned, and the pregnancy had been stressful and exhausting as they worked on a way to save their friends (and the entire world), but the moment they'd laid eyes on their little bundle of joy they'd known that they would do anything in their power for their daughter. Being away from her without knowing where she was was the hardest thing Jemma had ever done, but it would all be worth it if they succeeded.</p><p><em>"Is mom on a spaceship?" </em>Olive ask timidly, looking up at her dad with wide blue eyes that matched his.<br/>
On the screen, Fitz nodded. <em>"Yeah, monkey. Remember what I told you. We can't see mum because she's with aunt Daisy and the rest of the family on a spaceship, and they're gonna fight bad people."<br/>
"When she come back?" </em>Olive insisted.</p><p>Fitz's face fell a little, and he kissed the top of her head. Jemma let out a sob, and this time she felt Deke wrap her in his arms tightly. She let herself be hugged, her eyes never leaving the screen as she blinked away her tears.</p><p><em>"Soon, baby" </em>Fitz lied. They'd really gotten better at lying, the both of them. <em>"Now let's say bye, uh? What do we say to mum?"<br/>
"I love you to the moon and the stars and the universe" </em>Olive said proudly, her toothy smile making Jemma's heart swell. She was only two, but she spoke much better than most children her age already.<br/>
<em>"That's right" </em>Fitz nodded proudly, tightening his arms around her. He looked up at the camera again. <em>"I love you, Jems. We'll see you soon, yeah?"</em></p><p>Then, he turned off the camera. Around her, the room was silent, and Jemma could feel her team's eyes bore into the back of her head. She allowed herself some moments for herself though, sniffling as she wiped away her last tears and finally turned around. Daisy was staring at her in absolute chock, eyes round and wet. Both Coulson and May looked taken aback, and she could see pity and sadness in Mack and Yoyo's gazes.</p><p>"This is why I couldn't tell you" Jemma said in a whisper. "This is our daughter Olive. "</p><p>She swallowed past the lump in her throat.</p><p>"She's two years old. She was born on the 25th of July, she likes monkeys and dogs and the rain. She likes to lay in the grass and look at the stars at night, and she told her dad she wanted to be an astronaut. Fitz almost had a heart attack when she said that" she chuckled wetly. "She has a photo of all of us together in her room and she won't fall asleep until she's heard of our adventures in space. And most of all, she wants to meet her aunt Daisy because she thinks superheroes are cool."<br/>
"Nana" Deke interrupted, shaking his head. "When… how?"</p><p>Jemma shrugged, a sad smile tugging at the corner of her lips. </p><p>"Well… We had time."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>if you wanna come freak out with me about agents of shield you can find me on twitter @/keptinonzebridg! xx</p></blockquote></div></div>
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